Our Best-Ever Bundt Cake Recipes

By Southern Living Editors
September 28, 2016
Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck
Bundt cakes are an old-fashioned Southern cake, but we think they’ve never gone out of style. We think of them as a baker’s secret weapon: Pretty molded cakes look incredibly impressive but they are deceptively simple to make, even for the most novice baker. A ring-shaped ridged Bundt pan can transform the most basic cake recipe into a work of art with hardly any fuss in the kitchen. Most Bundt cakes only need a simple glaze or dusting of powdered sugar to shine. And you can make a Bundt cake to please just about any type of sweet tooth. The Southern Living Test Kitchen has developed so many Bundt cake recipes over the years, and this collection of recipes includes some of our most popular Bundt cakes to get you started. So grab your prettiest Bundt pan and get baking!
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Break Out The Bundt Pan For These Delicious Desserts

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Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

Credit: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cake

This brownie-like bundt cake is made with cocoa, bittersweet chocolate, and espresso powder for deep, rich chocolate flavor. Every bundt cake can benefit from a thick, rich glaze and we topped this one with not one, but two deliciously contrasting glazes: a sweet chocolate glaze and a tangy buttermilk glaze. We love how this elegant cake looks on an old-fashioned cake stand, but you can also turn this recipe into a dozen single servings if you have a 12-cup Bundt brownie pan. Either way, this bundt cake is sure to delight the chocolate lovers in your life.

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Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Credit: Luca Trovato

Recipe: Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

As soon as summer turns to fall, it’s apple cake season. And this Apple-Cream Cheese Bundt Cake is one you’ll return to year after year. A sweet ribbon of cream cheese runs through this moist spice cake studded with chunks of apples. And if that wasn’t enough, we made this bundt cake truly over-the-top by adding a thick and rich praline frosting and toasted pecans. We recommend crisp, tart-sweet gala apples, but you can use any apple you like—it’s a great way to showcase fresh-from-the-farm apples. Serve this autumn dessert with a cup of tea or coffee, or as a decadent treat at breakfast or brunch.

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Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Strawberry Swirl Cream Cheese Pound Cake

This pretty strawberry bundt cake tastes every bit as good as it looks, whether you make it in a bundt pan or a tube pan. A pretty pink layer of store-bought strawberry glaze livens up an old-fashioned pound cake made with vanilla and almond extracts for a more complex flavor. Similar to a marbled bundt cake, the strawberry glaze is dolloped on the batter then swirled with a long wooden skewer. When it’s done baking, be sure to remove the warm cake from the pan (after letting it rest 10 minutes) then let it cool completely on a wire rack before slicing. Serve this cake with sliced fresh strawberries and whipped cream for the ultimate spring dessert.

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Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake

Looking for a crowd-pleasing but simple bundt cake? Our Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake is easy to whip up and fits almost any occasion. It’s a great for family dinners, book clubs, church socials, neighborhood potlucks, or school bake sales. Filled with mini chocolate chips and chopped pecans and made with brown sugar and vanilla, it’s the cake version of the classic chocolate chip cookie. Serve this everyday cake as-is, or dressed it up with hot fudge sauce and sliced berries, whipped cream and toasted pecans, or use thin slices of cake to make ice cream sandwiches with your favorite store-bought ice cream.

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Tennessee Jam Bundt Cake

Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Tennessee Jam Bundt Cake

Store-bought sugar was once scarce in some parts of the South, so desserts were often sweetened with homemade jams and preserves. We brought back this classic Southern cake and it immediately became a top-rated reader favorite.

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Cranberry-Apple Pumpkin Bundt

Credit: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Cranberry-Apple Pumpkin Bundt

Three favorite fall flavors combine in this beloved Bundt cake. Cranberry, apple, and pumpkin, all in a beautiful Bundt? It’s a win-win-win for the dessert table.

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Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

Credit: Iain Bagwell

Recipe: Mini Bourbon-and-Cola Bundt Cakes

Bourbon, cola, and chocolate cake? You’ve got a winner. Great for tailgating or any gathering, these cute treats can be frozen individually for quick grab-and-go snacks.

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Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes

Credit: Photo: Iain Bagwell; Styling: Heather Chadduck

Recipe: Rum-Glazed Sweet Potato Cakes

These baby Bundts are bursting with our favorite flavors of fall – sweet potatoes, cinnamon, rum, and toasted pecans. These are delicious to eat warm right out of the oven, but some readers think they are actually better the next day. The recipe makes a lot—3 dozen—so you can decide for yourself.

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Hummingbird Bundt Cake

Credit: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Hummingbird Bundt Cake

There’s not always time to ice a layered cake to perfection before your dinner party, so we adapted it for an easy Bundt pan recipe with a decadent cream cheese glaze that doesn’t take any decorating skills. 

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Mama’s Rum Cake

Credit: Peter Frank Edwards

Recipe: Mama’s Rum Cake

A double dose of rum in the cake and the glaze makes this Bundt cake ultra-decadent.

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Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

Credit: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Claire Spollen; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Magic Cake

If you’re loyal to the pumpkin spice game come fall, you’ve got to try this impressive looking, flan-like cake.

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Chocolate Bundt Cake

Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Torie Cox; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke

Recipe: Chocolate Bundt Cake

This decadent cake has double the chocolate with both boxed cake and brownie mixes.

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Coconut Pound Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos

Recipe: Coconut Pound Cake

Three Southern dessert favorites—coconut, pecans, and bourbon—meet in this easy but pretty pound cake recipe.

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Spiked Eggnog Bundt Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Spiked Eggnog Bundt Cake

We spiked this holiday cake with just the right amount of bourbon.

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Mary’s Mango Cake

Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Christine Keely; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Mary’s Mango Cake

Made with fresh oranges, limes, and mangoes, this Bundt cake tastes like a sunny day on the beaches of Florida.

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7UP Bundt Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall; Prop Styling: Kathleen Varner

Recipe: 7UP Bundt Cake

Southerners have been relying on the secret of soda to make incredible cakes for generations.

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Reese’s Cake

Credit: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Reese’s Cake

If you have a loved one who always picks Reese’s in the checkout line, you absolutely have to make this cake for him or her.

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Yellow Squash Bundt Cake

Credit: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Torie Cox

Recipe: Yellow Squash Bundt Cake

Use up your fresh squash this summer with an unexpected dessert that the kids will never know has vegetables in it.

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Grand Marnier Cakes

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly

Recipe: Grand Marnier Cakes

First featured in Tea-Time at the Masters in 1977 as a tube-pan cake, we updated it to be made in mini Bundt pans for luncheon-ready presentation.

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Classic Southern Pound Cake

Credit: Skyler Burt

Recipe: Classic Southern Pound Cake

A true classic doesn’t need an introduction, so we’ll let this beauty speak for itself.

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Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake

Credit: Photo: Antonis Achilleos; Prop Styling: Lindsey Lower; Food Styling: Emily Nabors Hall

Recipe: Peach-Bourbon Upside-Down Bundt Cake

This summer stunner showcases fresh peaches in picture-perfect fashion.

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Rosemary-Olive Oil Cornmeal Cake

Credit: Southern Living

Recipe: Rosemary-Olive Oil Cornmeal Cake

This pretty Bundt cake would be delicious with a cup of tea in the afternoon or coffee at brunch.

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Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

Credit: Photo: Victor Protasio; Prop Styling: Kay E. Clarke; Food Styling: Ana Kelly

Recipe: Lemon-Orange Pound Cake

Southerners know some of the best recipes come from the pages of Junior League cookbooks, including this one from Houston.

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Pecan Spice Cake with Caramel-Rum Glaze Recipe

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Davick

Recipe: Pecan Spice Cake with Caramel-Rum Glaze Recipe

You don’t need bakery-level decorating skills with a decadent glaze to pour over this festive holiday Bundt cake.

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Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes

Credit: Photo: Alison Miksch

Recipe: Mini Triple-Chocolate Buttermilk Pound Cakes

Personal portions make the host’s job easier so he or she can sit down and enjoy dessert with the table instead of slicing for everyone.

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Sweet Tea Bundt Cake

Credit: Micah A. Leal

Recipe: Sweet Tea Bundt Cake

Of course we love sipping on a cold glass of sweet tea, but this Bundt cake recipe makes a delicious case for baking with it.

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Yogurt Pound Cake with Pomegranate Syrup

Credit: Sheri Giblin

Recipe: Yogurt Pound Cake with Pomegranate Syrup

Greek yogurt adds a hint of tang to this pound cake recipe that pairs perfectly with a cup of coffee or tea.

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Orange Cake

Credit: Hector Manuel Sanchez

Recipe: Orange Cake

This bright cake is topped with candied orange zest for a holiday-worthy presentation.

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Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

Credit: Photo: Jennifer Causey

Recipe: Pumpkin-Spice Bundt with Brown Sugar Icing and Candied Pecans

If you want your house to smell amazing this fall, whip up this beautiful Bundt.

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